1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to reader apparatus for the reading of documents containing encoded data, and in particular reader apparatus adaptable to read documents of any width within a predetermined range of widths.
2. Background of the Invention
In the field of document reading devices, there is a continuing need to optimize the flexibility of the apparatus design so as to accommodate different types of documents. It is to be noted that the large majority of document readers which have found commercial use to date have been card readers for reading the conventional size 80 column cards. For such readers, the mechanical design is fixed so as to optimally accommodate the single size of card, or document which is to be utilized. However, with the continuing spread of electronic data processing to more and more areas, there is a rising demand for document readers for reading all sorts of different types of documents such as cards, badges, etc., which come in a wide variety of sizes. While the capacity for reading documents of varying lengths has been provided commercially, there has heretofore not been an available document reader providing efficient and reliable means for accommodating documents of different widths.